Patients with fibromyalgia benefit from aerobic endurance exercise

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder characterised by diffuse widespread musculo skeletal aching and stiffness and multiple tender points [1]. Its pathophys iology is poorly understood. The influence of aerobic endurance exercise on pain in patients with FM was investigated. Twenty-seven patients (25 femal e, 2 male) participated in a controlled clinical study and performed 12 wee ks of jogging, walking, cycling or swimming following a given schedule. Twe lve sedentary FM patients (11 female, 1 male) served as controls. Before an d after training both the study and the control groups were evaluated spiro ergometrically. Tender point pain was quantified by dolorimetry. The painfu l body surface was estimated by a pain body diagram, and its intensity by a visual analogue scale and a ranking scale. Patients trained for an average of 25 min two to three times a week, with an average intensity of 50% of m aximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Unlike the control group, the training group exhibited a decrease in heart rate and VO2 and an increase in respiratory quotient during submaximal workload. Maximal performance capacity and VO2ma x remained unchanged, whereas the wattpulse (watt/heart rate) improved at m aximal workload. Pain parameters remained unchanged in the control group, b ut in the training group the mean number of positive tender points (15.4/12 .7), the mean pain threshold of the gluteal tender point (2.89 kp/3.50 kp) and the painful body surface (18%/15% body surface) decreased significantly . patients but improved in 17. Our results suggest a positive effect of aer obic endurance exercise on fitness and well-being in patients with FM.